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alliance in opposition to the Egyptians, 469 and this move would see Bahrain ‘drawn

into the orbit of the Pact’. 470

By the second-half of February discontent amongst members of the HEC

against the Administration resurfaced. A new circular was issued warning the

Government on three issues. First, was the delay in hiring a legal expert to examine

the Penal Code. Second, was the decision to recruit Iraqi officers to the Police Force.

Third, was the Government’s delay in electing the remaining members of the

Education Council. The circular accused the Administration of ‘trying to escape

from recognising the Committee which has been proved undoubtedly that it is the

only representative of the people’. Furthermore, the Party warned the Government

of ‘bad consequences’ that would occur if their demands were not met within a

week. 471

The Administration’s delay in announcing its candidates for the Education

Council, according to the Resident, was due to an internal government debate of

whether to add an extra Chairman to the twelve members of the Council or have him

chosen from among the twelve members of the Council. The issue was still

unresolved at the end of February. In regards to the delay of acquiring an expert to

review the Penal Code, Burrows had been told by the Administration that Al-

Sanhouri, the Egyptian legal expert, had been chosen for the position. The

Administration had opened negotiations with Al-Sanhouri to acquire his services in

469 TNA, FO 371/126869, Bernard Burrows Residency’s the Persian Gulf Administration Reports for
the Year 1956.
470 ‘Bernard Burrows, Residency’s Report for the Month of March 1956’, 1-10 (3).
471 TNA, FO 1016/465, The Higher Executive Committee, Circular No. 40, 21 February 1955.

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